Definitely the Chev. I’m not a Chevrolet man, but I’m a sucker for a 1957. There were so many around when I was of Driver’s Ed-age…the era of the Plastic Fantastic was just getting underway; Nadarized dashboards; government bumpers; CAFE around the corner.

The wild-and-crazy three-circle dashboard of the Chevy that year…it beckoned me, as a kid. And I remember the call today…sure, an HHR uses much the same dash. Except it’s NOT the same.

The chrome on the steering wheel; the wraparound windshield…the upright stance, so different from the Vegas of my high-school years…and – unlike the ’36 Ford…real performance under the hood. I’ll pass on the Powerglide; just gimme three-on-the-tree, even with Chevy’s classic six.

But not with the four-door sedan. I want a NOMAD! If I can’t have…I’ll settle for a Sedan Delivery, suitably decorated inside. Barring that, a two-door 210 or One-Fifty wagon.

Yeah, that’s precisely why I missed it. His ’80s output was pretty spotty, with the overly slick Phil Collins production values, Lethal Weapon movie soundtracks, Michelob beer commercials, etc. Had a couple of good tunes in there, but I mostly tuned out after Slowhand.

Sad thing (maybe) is that the 4 door Tri-Fives are emerging as the most rare and valuable simply because they were that unloved stepchild that nobody hesitated to rape… for parts. And the ones you see plying the roads are survivors…not rehashed (aka: rotisserie restored) for the 12th time former deplorable rust buckets like most Nomads and convertibles you see at the high end auctions being gobbled up by Those Who Really Don’t Know… A vehicle is only original once, and don’t even get me started on “numbers matching”…

Rarer, certainly. But not more valuable…typically I’ve found that they’re the most affordable Tri-Fives. Sedans are typically a more affordable alternative to their hardtop equivalents in the ’55-’72 era.

You didn’t make it easy, but the Ford for me. If it had been a ’55 Chevy, I would have sweated my choice. As much as I love the tri-fives, I also have a heavy passion for Fords of exactly this vintage, and a coupe too! Warm up that flathead a bit, and with a modern five-speed stick, I’d be driving this thing quite a bit.

This is a tough one. Lately I feel that some cars like the 1957 Chevrolet and 1959 Cadillac are overrated, since there were so many better cars those years that don’t get the same recognition (Chrysler, DeSoto, Lincoln, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac in ’57, Pontiac, Mercury, and Lincoln in ’59). But on the other hand, every time I see them I realize that they are so popular for a reason, so I can’t really disqualify the Chevrolet. Plus both appear to be pretty much stock, so I can’t disqualify one for being a custom. I’m going to say Ford for now (it matches my fedora better), but I know that as soon as I hit the submit button I’ll change my mind.

The ’36 in a heartbeat. ’57 Chevys are common. There was a time when 1936 Fords were also common. But then there was also a day when Hemmings Motor News had a Ford section and a Non-Ford section, and that was pretty much the way the old car scene was split up at the time.

I lusted after a ’37 Ford five-window coupe for years, got a good start on building a ’40 standard coupe, my dad had a ’35 sedan when I was a little kid – banjo wheel and all – yeah, I’d have the 36 coupe.

Speaking from experience…with a good set of radials, the ’57’s manners are transformed. No X-frame (’58-’64) car compares. Chevy probably didn’t surpass this design on a full-size car until the ’69-’70s.

Even better, so many upgrades are available today at reasonable cost to make a Tri-Five handle like a much newer vehicle. Or if you have the $$$ and really want to go all out, call these guys…they’re one of a number of people who specialize in making your Tri-Five handle like a ‘Vette.

The 36 Ford was an earlier generation’s analog to the 57 Chevy. Hugely collected, expensive when done well (and even when not done well). I have never owned a flathead Ford, but I still would kind of like to.

Probably will get hate mail over this but I think I prefer the Ford. Reason for the hate mail though is that I already have the Chevy, albeit a 2 door like JustPassingThru wants. 57- 210 Handyman Wagon. I got it before I went to Southeast Asia in 71 and took it home for my Dad to drive. Reclaimed it from 20 years inside a garage and drove it regularly about 10 years ago. It’s been sitting since 08 because of gas prices.

It has become my next project and I don’t think it will take much to get it on the road. This time I will take pictures.

Time lets us forget some of the inconveniences. The powerglide, despite being rugged, makes for poor gas mileage. The two door is very inconvenient. It would thrive with a third door on the passenger side like the early suburban. It’s legal without seat belts but I don’t want any passengers without them today. It has a 283 which has a very rod/stroke ratio and probably will last forever. That’s too bad because I would love to have the six or, even better, a small diesel. Sure would love to have the skills to make what I want matter. There is a lot of stuff to do. I will be challenged to do it all.

Anyway, this Ford is high on the list of cars I have lusted for. My favorite (and apparently the favorite of the street rod crew) is the 40. This one isn’t far behind. Just goes to remind me that the guys that are 30 today will probably reach my age lusting for the Mistubish Eclipse or some such thing.

Thanks for the eye candy Mike. Now I have to rearrange my priorities again. dogonit!

Tough call. Both of these are really nice looking cars just the way they are. The 57 Chevy, while not my favorite finned car, is still high on the list. At the current stage of my life, the Chevy would work better than the 36 Ford, as it would easily accomodate two child seats in the back. However, my son has decided that he wants us to build a hot rod, purple with flames. The 36 Ford would not be my first choice, but if handed the keys I certainly wouldn’t turn it down either.